Which post-secondary grads earn the most money? Men with professional degrees

Men with professional degrees were the highest earners in the first few years after graduating post-secondary school, Statistics Canada says.

The agency looked at grads in a variety of fields and degree levels, and found that professional degrees, such as those needed for engineering, pharmacy, law and medicine, earned at least $70,000 annually.

Men banked a median yearly salary of $72,800 two years post-graduation, while women earned $70,800.

At the other end of the scale, median salaries for college certificate grads were $35,300 for men and $30,400 for women.

For undergraduates, science and business degrees got students the biggest bang for their buck.

Two years after graduating, architecture and engineering grads earned a median salary of $64,400; health grads took home $64,200; math and computer sciences grads earned a median of $54,800; and businesses grads made $47,300.

On average, undergrads pocketed a median salary of $46,000 two years after leaving school.

That figure continued to rise for nearly all fields of study.

Male students who graduated in 2011 saw their median income jump by 26 per cent between the second and fifth year after graduation. Women with similar educations saw an increase of 15 per cent.